Britax Frontier ClickTight Car Seat Review

April 2, 2015Nicole Paige

Let me first get my own biases out of the way and say that I think Britax do some of the best car seats on the market. They are innovative in their design and have top of the line safety features. Britax is also one of the most purchased car seats in the US, Canada, and the UK by celebrities and us “regular folk” alike. I have done previous reviews on the Britax Marathon, Boulevard, Advocate, and their ClickTight update if you’re interested in those. The Britax frontier though is a harness/booster seat or Harness-2-Booster as Britax refers to it. The seat begins harnessed and forward-facing and then ultimately transforms into a booster seat. Right off the top there are a couple real perks about the Frontier. One, that the seat goes all the way up to 120lbs and two, that the seat has a 9 year expiration date from the time of manufacture. If you’ve ever owned a Britax seat before you probably already know that their quality really is top of the line and this seat is no exception. It incorporates all of the same great safety features from their convertible or infant car seats into the Fontier Harness-2—Booster seat.

What are the Pros of the Frontier ClickTight?

ClickTight – This is the new features from Britax that debuted last year and has everyone talking and it’s what really sets the Frontier apart from combination car seats on the market. Britax claims that anyone can install their car seats with the ClickTight system because it’s just that easy…and I have to say, it really is. It’s essentially an automatic seatbelt installation system that takes all that pulling and tugging at the seatbelt work away from you. All you do is lift up the cover to show the ClickTight panel, then pass the seatbelt through the pathway marked in green, buckle it, close the cover, and WAHLA! It’s magic and you’re done. It really is that easy, and I can pretty much guarantee that once you install it, your jaw will drop and a look of amazement will sweep across your face…as that’s pretty much what happened to me.

Energy-Absorbing Foam Liner – Absorbs and helps to evenly distribute crash forces in the event of a crash. The seat is also deep with a nice layer of foam for extra protection that comes around covering the child on the sides.

Height Settings – Unlike the previous Frontier model, you no longer need to uninstall the seat to adjust the harness for your growing child. You now have 9 different height adjustments that are adjustable from the front without re-installing everything. As a bonus, there’s also two crotch positions that are also adjustable while the seat is installed.

EZ-Buckle System – I love Britax’s EZ-Buckle system. It keeps the harness and crotch straps nicely out of the way while you put your child in the seat and then makes it simple to find them once you’re ready to buckle them in. I’ve heard some parents call it their extra pair of hands, and I definitely agree.

Height and Weight Limits – Britax has raised the industry standard with this seat by slightly increasing the height and weight limits which allows with the 5 point harness to be used up to 90lbs. Even the tallest kids are going to have a tough time outgrowing this seat before they’re ready.

And the Cons?

LATCH – I’m not sure this is really a con, but I’ll put it here anyway. LATCH on this seat is limited to 40lbs (most go to 65lbs), but this seat uses ClickTight so really….what’s the big deal anyway?

Heavy – Britax is usually one of the heaviest seats on the market and this is no exception. But, most convertible/booster seats are heavy which allows for a higher weight limit.

Expensive – Also a common theme with Britax is price, and these come in at the top with hardly any discount available.

How do consumers rate it?

The Frontier ClickTight is a new combination seat on the market for 2015 but it’s already getting great reviews at about 4.7 out of 5 stars. Parents love the ClickTight and how easy it makes installation. They say even their kids can install the seat…with adult supervision of course =)

What’s it going to cost?

Simply put…a pretty penny! The Frontier has an MSRP of $329.00 and since it’s a new seat on the market there’s not much escaping the price or finding any deep discounts unfortunately. I saw it briefly pop-up on Amazon for around $300 but that was short lived. The good news though is unlike many retailers who market their car seats one price for basic colors and another for all the snazzy patterns we really want but can’t afford, all colors and patterns are the same price. I highly suggest my personal favorite design, Kaleidoscope.

The Bottom Line

The Britax Frontier ClickTight is basically at the front (see what I did there, front…frontier haha). The increased height and weight limits, the no-rethread harness, and the super easy to install ClickTight system make it a clear winner. I didn’t even mention the plushness of the fabric on this seat because that’s just an added super bonus. This is really the best in its class and worth the money in my opinion. It is a pricey seat, but when you think about quality and longevity of this seat, the cost breaks down to forgoing one night out per year. I highly recommend the Britax Frontier ClickTight and I really truly believe it’s a very safe seat, easy to use, and will last for years until your child needs no car seat or booster at all.